Music
MarchFourth!
The Redstone Room
Thursday, June 18, 7:30 p.m.
According to Iowa City's Little Village magazine, "Some mad scientist somewhere took a bunch of marching-band geeks who died in a bus crash outside his castle, reassembled their bodies, laid them out on a platform, zapped it with a lightning bolt, and brought them back to life as a monster, all the while cackling as he admired his creation."
That's author Yale Cohn's description of the high-energy, genre-defying musical powerhouses of MarchFourth!, who'll be bringing their traveling party to Davenport's Redstone Room on June 18. But your confusion is understandable if you thought that opening paragraph was actually meant for the What's Happenin' below.
Formerly known as the MarchFourth Marching Band - its moniker originating with the band's Fat Tuesday debut on March 4, 2003 - this Portland-based ensemble might be even more of a miracle than anything devised by Victor Frankenstein. Consider: A band composed of a horn section, an electric bass and guitar, and a percussion section with drum harnesses made from recycled bicycle parts. Music incorporating influences from rock, jazz, hip hop, ska, swing, blues, and klezmer. Live shows performed with accompanying dancers, acrobats, stilt-walkers, and hula-hoopers. And a DIY aesthetic that finds MarchFourth!'s band members writing and arranging their own material, developing their own choreography, crafting their own merchandise, and fashioning their own costumes, many of them redesigned traditional marching-band uniforms. Could anyone have expected these ingredients to successfully mesh?
Maybe not. But for the past dozen years, mesh they have - so much so that a typical MarchFourth! schedule finds its talents making upwards of 200 tour stops a year, with the group proving a fantastically popular act at music festivals including SXSW, the High Sierra Music Festival, and the Waterfront Blues Festival. The band's exhilarating, unclassifiable stylings have also found them sharing stages with artists as disparate as Fleetwood Mac, KISS, OK Go, No Doubt, and the Neville Brothers, and boasting a sound so universally appealing that it's no surprise to find both Burning Man and the soundtrack to Pixar's Monsters University on MarchFourth's collective résumé.
And music reviewers have been just as wowed, with Tampa's Creative Loafing magazine calling the ensemble "an outlandish feast for the eyes and ears," and NPR.org writing, "The horns push and pull, wail and oompah, share conversations and sometimes seem to have a difference of opinion, but always reunite in blissful harmony." I'm considering buying tickets to MarchFourth!'s Redstone Room concert for everyone at the Reader, because during staff meetings, we're just like that. Without the blissful harmony.
MarchFourth!'s June 18 concert begins at 7:30 p.m., and more information and tickets are available by calling (563)326-1333 or visiting RiverMusicExperience.org.
Theatre
Young Frankenstein
Prospect Park Auditorium
Friday, June 12, through Sunday, June 21
"Darling, did you see the paper? It seems that, from June 12 through 21, Quad City Music Guild is going to be staging the musical Young Frankenstein, based on that Mel Brooks movie that got us so upset! Do you remember that?"
"Rrrrrrggggghhhh!"
"I know! I'm shocked, too! Apparently, Brooks' musical comedy The Producers was such a smash that he followed it up by composing the music and lyrics for a theatrical take on Young Frankenstein. So he not only stole your life story for his spoof on old black-and-white horror movies, but is now profiting off of it with a full-color stage version!"
"Rrrrrrggggghhhh!"
"I agree! Despicable! The article says that all the characters that people apparently loved in Brooks' movie are in the musical, as well. There's you, of course, and me, and your creator Frederick Frankenstein, and his girlfriend Inga, and that hunchback Igor, and that horrible Inspector Kemp, and that grim-faced Frau Blucher - ."
"Rrrrrrggggghhhh?"
"That's just the horse outside. He's fine. But the paper says that in addition to the familiar Young Frankenstein characters and situations, there are a bunch of original, peppy song-and-dance numbers that get audiences smiling and their toes tapping. Some of their titles include 'Welcome to Transylvania,' 'Roll in the Hay,' 'Please Don't Touch Me,' 'He Vas My Boyfriend' - ."
"Rrrrrrggggghhhh?"
"Oh, yes. Your big dance number 'Puttin' on the Ritz' is here, too - that Mel Brooks is shameless!"
"Rrrrrrggggghhhh!"
"Right?! And the worst thing is that people really love it! The show, which was called 'bright and witty' by the New York Post, was nominated for three Tony Awards and won the Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Musical of 2008, and also won Broadway.com's Audience Awards for Favorite New Broadway Musical, Leading Actor, Featured Actor, Featured Actress ... !"
"Rrrrrrggggghhhh?"
"Let's see. It says here that Michael Turczynski is directing the local production, so I guess you could visit him first. And among the cast, Music Guild veterans Nathan Bates and Beth Marsoun play you and me, Ian Sodawasser plays Frederick, Abbey Donohoe plays Inga, Nate Karstens plays Igor, Dick LaFrenz plays Kemp, Nancy Teerlinck plays Frau Blucher - ."
"Rrrrrrggggghhhh!"
"I know. I don't understand why our horse keeps doing that. Well, that settles it! Let's go and give these Young Frankenstein people a piece of our mind!"
"Rrrrrrggggghhhh ... ."
"What? Now? Again?"
"Rrrrrrggggghhhh ... !"
"Oh, you little zipper-neck! You're incorrigible! Well ... all right, then ... . Seven's always been my lucky number ... ."
Young Frankenstein runs at Moline's Prospect Park Auditorium Thursdays through Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m., and tickets and information are available by calling (309)762-6610 or visiting QCMusicGuild.com.
Music
Rock the District with Bret Michaels
District of Rock Island
Saturday, June 20, 7 p.m.
If it's June, it must be time again for the District of Rock Island's annual Rock the District, and 2015's is taking place on Saturday, June 20. So get ready for a night of fun! Music! Dancing! And, this year, just a dash of Poison!
That, of course, would be concert headliner Bret Michaels, the lead singer for the hair-metal rockers of Poison, and - considering his near-legendary status as a singer-songwriter-instrumentalist-actor-director-screenwriter-producer-humanitarian-reality-TV-host-and-star - easily the most multi-hyphenated multi-hyphenate Rock the District has yet showcased.
You certainly know Michaels from his years with Poison, which has sold more than 45 million albums worldwide and has landed 10 singles on Billboard's Top 40, including the iconic number-one smash "Every Rose Has Its Thorn." You know him from his hugely successful solo career, with 2010's Custom Built reaching number one on Billboard's hard-rock charts. And outside Michaels' musical accomplishments, you likely know him from his victory on the third season of Celebrity Apprentice (in which in earned $640,000 for the American Diabetes Association), his several Rock of Love reality series, his hosting engagements on the Travel Channel, his guest appearance in the video game Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock ... .
But how well to you re-e-e-eally know him? (You just knew the preceding paragraph was the lead-up to a quiz, right?) Let's find out through this brief foray int Bret Michaels trivia, courtesy of the mad scamps at FunTrivia.com.
1) What is Bret Michaels' actual last name?
A) Borak
B) Sychek
C) Michaels
2) What was the name of the band Bret Michaels was in before forming Posion?
A) Spectre
B) Paris
C) Guys with Hair
3) In what year did Michaels have a near-fatal car crash?
A) 1994
B) 1998
C) 2002
4) What's the title of Michaels' first solo album?
A) Glam Slam
B) Poison Remix
C) Songs of Life
5) True or false: Michaels once shaved his head for a job.
Bret Michaels performs the year's Rock the District concert with opening sets by Three Years Hollow, Girl on Fire, and Eleven Fifty Two, and more information is available by visiting RIDistrict.com.
Answers: 1 - B, 2 - A, 3 - A, 4 - C, 5 - True. It was shaved for his 1998 feature film A Letter from Death Row, which Michaels wrote, co-directed, and starred in. Meaning, for a time, he wasn't hair-metal; he was hair-meddle. Which is a terrible pun even for me.
What Else Is Happenin' ...?
MUSIC
Thursday, June 11 - Strangled Darlings. Concert with the indie-folk duo with an opening set by the Toby Brown Band. Rozz-Tox (2108 Third Avenue, Rock Island). 8 p.m. $5-10. For information, call (309)200-0978 or visit RozzTox.com.
Thursday, June 11 - The World Famous Glenn Miller Orchestra. Concert with the big-band touring performers. Coralville Center for the Performing Arts (1301 Fifth Street, Coralville). 7 p.m. $20. For tickets and information, call (319)248-9370 or visit CoralvilleArts.org.
Friday, June 12, and Saturday, June 13 - Gumbo Ya Ya. Annual "Mardi Gras in the District" celebration with street vendors, Cajun food, children's activities, and concerts by the Backwater Bayou Band, Amy Nicole & Zydeco Soul, the Funky Butt Brass Band, and others. District of Rock Island. Friday 5 p.m. gates, Saturday 4 p.m. gates. $9 one-day pass, $14 weekend pass. For information, call (309)788-6311 or visit GumboYaYaFestival.com.
Friday, June 12 - Avon Dale and Truthpick. Roots, blues, and soul musicians in the RME Anniversary Concert and Member Appreciation Show. The Redstone Room (129 Main Street, Davenport). 9 p.m. $8-10. For tickets and information, call (563)326-1333 or visit RiverMusicExperience.org.
Sunday, June 14 - Out of the Ordinary. Members of the Nova Singers ensemble and other area singers perform songs from Broadway musicals, Irish and English folk tunes, handbell and cello solos, and more under the direction of Laura Lane. First Lutheran Church of Rock Island (1600 200th Street, Rock Island). 4 p.m. $10-15. For tickets and information, call (309)341-7038 or visit NovaSingers.com.
Sunday, June 14 - John Conlee. Country-music legend and member of the Grand Ole Opry in concert. Ohnward Fine Arts Center (1215 East Platt Street, Maquoketa). 2 p.m. $25-30. For tickets and information, call (563)652-9815 or visit OhnwardFineArtsCenter.com.
Tuesday, June 16 - Hackensaw Boys. Americana and bluegrass musicians in concert, with an opening set by Frank F. Sydney's Western Bandit Volunteers. The Redstone Room (129 Main Street, Davenport). 8 p.m. $15-20. For tickets and information, call (563)326-1333 or visit RiverMusicExperience.org.
Tuesday, June 16 - Doug Deming & the Jewel Tones and Dennis Gruenling. Blues musicians in a concert co-presented by the Mississippi Valley Blues Society. The Muddy Waters (1708 State Street, Bettendorf). 6:30 p.m. $8-10. For information, call (563)355-0655 or visit TheMuddyWaters.com.
Wednesday, June 17 - Spirit Family Reunion and Muddy Ruckus. Rock and Americana musicians in concert. The Redstone Room (129 Main Street, Davenport). 7:30 p.m. $11.50-12. For tickets and information, call (563)326-1333 or visit RiverMusicExperience.org.
Wednesday, June 17 - Forlorn Strangers. Nashville-based Americana quintet in concert, with an opening set by Frankie & the Kinfolk. Rozz-Tox (2108 Third Avenue, Rock Island). 8 p.m. $5-10. For information, call (309)200-0978 or visit RozzTox.com.
Wednesday, June 17 - Codfish Hollow Barnstormer. All-ages concert with independent musicians Conor Oberst and the Felice Brothers. Codfish Hollow Barn (5013 288th Avenue, Maquoketa). 7 p.m. $25-30. For tickets and information, call (563)321-0172 or visit CodfishHollowBarnstormers.com.
Friday, June 19 - Here Come the Mummies. Outdoor concert with the tightly wrapped rockers, with an opening set by 10 of Soul. District of Rock Island. 8 p.m. $23-28. For information, call (309)788-6311 or visit RIDistrict.com or RIBCO.com.
Friday, June 19 - ABBA Fab. Concert with the nationally touring tribute artists. Quad-Cities Waterfront Convention Center (2021 State Street, Bettendorf). 7:30 p.m. $20. For information, call (800)724-5825 or visit Bettendorf.IsleOfCapriCasinos.com.
Friday, June 19 - Juan Wauters. Concert with the singer/songwriter and native Uruguayan, with opening sets by Gosh!, the Multiple Cat, and Us-Mode. Rozz-Tox (2108 Third Avenue, Rock Island). 9 p.m. $6-12. For information, call (309)200-0978 or visit RozzTox.com.
Friday, June 19, through Sunday, June 21 - Geneseo Music Festival. Forty-seventh-annual outdoor weekend featuring children's activities, vendors, arts and crafts, and concerts by Ellis Kell, the River City 6, the Blue-Eyed Bettys, and others. Geneseo City Park (115 South Oakwood Avenue, Geneseo). Free. For information, call 309-944-2686 or visit GeneseoMusicFest.com.
Saturday, June 20 - All We Need Is Love Music & Art Gathering. Event commemorating the June 25, 1967, debut of the Beatles' "All You Need Is Love," featuring concerts, a drum circle, vendors, arts and crafts, and more. W.D. Petersen Memorial Music Pavilion (Beiderbecke Drive, LeClaire). Noon-8 p.m. Free. For information, visit Facebook.com/liberatelove.
Sunday, June 21 - Semenya McCord Quartet. Polyrhythms presents a 3 p.m. "jazz demystifying" workshop ($5 adults, free for kids) and a 6 p m. concert ($10-15) with McCord and musicians George W. Russell Jr., Glenn Brooks, and Chris Brooks. The Redstone Room (129 Main Street, Davenport). 7:30 p.m. $11.50-12. For tickets and information, call (309)373-0790 or visit Polyrhythms.org or RiverMusicExperience.org.
Sunday, June 21 - Daddy Mack Blues Band. Touring musicians in a concert co-presented by the Mississippi Valley Blues Society. The Muddy Waters (1708 State Street, Bettendorf). 7 p.m. $5-7. For information, call (563)355-0655 or visit TheMuddyWaters.com.
Sunday, June 21 - Mavis Staples. Concert with the gospel, soul, and R&B performer, featuring an opening set by Danielle Nicole. Englert Theatre (221 East Washington Street, Iowa City). 7 p.m. $35-55. For tickets and information, call (319)688-2653 or visit Englert.org.
THEATRE
Thursday, June 11, through Sunday, June 21 - Cats. Andrew Lloyd Webber's Tony-winning musical smash, directed by Matthew Teague Miller. Clinton Area Showboat Theatre (311 Riverview Drive, Clinton). Thursdays through Saturdays 7:30 p.m., Sundays and Wednesdays 3 p.m. $16-23. For tickets and information, call (563)242-6760 or visit ClintonShowboat.org.
Friday, June 12, through Sunday, June 28 - Tribes. Nina Raine's family drama partly performed in American Sign Language, directed by Jennifer Popple. QC Theatre Workshop (1730 Wilkes Avenue, Davenport). Fridays and Saturdays 7:30 p.m., Sundays 3 p.m. "Pay what it's worth" ticket pricing. For tickets and information, call (563)650-2396 or visit QCTheatreWorkshop.org.
Saturday, June 13, through Sunday, June 21 - Gianni Schicchi. Comic operetta by Giacomo Puccini, co-presented by Genesius Guild and Opera @ Augustana. Lincoln Park (11th Avenue and 38th Street, Rock Island.) Saturdays and Sundays 8 p.m. Donations encouraged. For information, visit Genesius.org.
Saturday, June 13, through Saturday, June 20 - Go, Dog, Go! Stage version of P.D. Eastman's children's book, in a Theatre for Young People presentation. Clinton Area Showboat Theatre (311 Riverview Drive, Clinton). Saturdays and Wednesday at noon. $5. For tickets and information, call (563)242-6760 or visit ClintonShowboat.org.
Saturday, June 13, through Saturday, June 27 - The Reluctant Dragon. Mary Hall Surface's adaptation of Kenneth Grahame's children's book. Old Creamery Theatre (39 38th Avenue, Amana). Saturdays 1 p.m., Tuesdays through Thursdays 10 a.m. $9. For tickets and information, call (319)622-6262 or visit OldCreamery.com.
Saturday, June 13 - National Theatre Live: Man & Superman. An HD movie screening of the Bernard Shaw play, starring Ralph Fiennes. Englert Theatre (221 East Washington Street, Iowa City). 7 p.m. $15-18 For tickets and information, call (319)688-2653 or visit Englert.org.
Thursday, June 18, through Saturday, June 27 - The Big Meal. Decades-spanning family comedy by Dan LeFranc, directed by Chuck Smith. Timber Lake Playhouse (8215 Black Oak Road, Mt. Carroll). Tuesdays through Saturdays 7:30 p.m.; Sundays, Wednesday, and June 19 at 2 p.m. $17-25. For tickets and information, call (815)244-2035 or visit TimberLakePlayhouse.org.
Friday, June 19, through Sunday, June 28 - Jesus Christ Superstar. Countryside Community Theatre's production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's and Tim Rice's biblical rock musical, directed by Jeff Ashcraft. North Scott High School Fine Arts Auditorium (200 South First Street, Eldridge). Thursdays through Saturdays 7:30 p.m., June 28 at 2 p.m. $12-15. For tickets and information, call (563)285-6228 or visit CCTOnStage.org.
Friday, June 19, through Sunday, July 12 - Cyrano. Edmond Rostand's classic love story in a five-person adaptation by Jo Roets, directed by Jody Hovland. Riverside Theatre (213 North Gilbert Street, Iowa City). Scheduled weekly performances at 3, 7, and 8 p.m. July 12 performance at Harvest Preserve (3106 Rochester Ave #1, Iowa City) at 6 p.m. $18-30. For tickets and information, call (319)338-7672 or visit RiversideTheatre.org.
Saturday, June 20, through Saturday, July 11 - How I Became a Pirate. Family musical based on Melinda Long's and David Shannon's children's book, directed by Marc Ciemiewicz. Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse (1828 Third Avenue, Rock Island). Scheduled Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays at 10 a.m. and/or 1 p.m. $8.50. For tickets and information, call (309)786-7733 extension 2 or visit Circa21.com.
Sunday, June 21, through Tuesday, July 7 - Love Letters. A.R. Gurney's romantic drama of a lifelong correspondence, directed by Ron Clark, performed with three rotating casts. Riverside Theatre (213 North Gilbert Street, Iowa City). June 21 at 3 p.m.; Tuesdays at 7 p.m. $18-30. For tickets and information, call (319)338-7672 or visit RiversideTheatre.org.
EXHIBITS
Saturday, June 13, through Monday, September 7 - Rainforest Adventure. Exhibit in which kids can climb a nine-foot kapok tree, explore a gorilla nest, discover products that come from tropical rainforests, and more. Family Museum (2900 Learning Campus Drive, Bettendorf). Mondays 9 a.m.-8 p.m., Tuesdays through Saturdays 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Sundays noon-5 p.m. Free with $4-7 admission. For tickets and information, call (563)344-4106 or visit FamilyMuseum.org.
Saturday, June 20, through Sunday, September 20 - American Moderns on Paper: Masterworks from the Wadsworth Antheneum Museum of Art. Exhibit of 87 works by 44 artists, created between 1902 and 1962, and ranging in style from the urban realism of John Sloan to the pioneering abstractions of Arthur Dove. Figge Art Museum (225 West Second Street, Davenport). Tuesdays through Saturdays 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Thursdays 10 a.m.-9 p.m., Sundays noon-5 p.m. Free with $$-7 admission. For tickets and information, call (563)326-7804 or visit FiggeArtMuseum.org.
EVENTS
Thursday, June 11, through Saturday, June 11 - Miss Iowa & Miss Iowa's Outstanding Teen Competition. Sixteen young ladies from across the state compete for Miss Iowa, with nine completing for the Miss Iowa's Outstanding Teen crown, in a three-day event hosted by Chadwick Vogel and featuring 2014 winners and vocalists Aly Olson and Anna Masengarb. Adler Theatre (136 East Third Street, Davenport). 7 p.m. For tickets, call (800)745-3000 or visit MissIowa.com.
Saturday, June 13 - Quad Cities Juneteenth. Annual celebration of African-American heritage, featuring live music and dance performances, children's activities, vendors, health workshops, games, historical presentations, and more. LeClaire Park (400 Beiderbecke Drive, Davenport). Noon-8 p.m. Free. For information, call (563)322-7363 or visit UnitedNeighbors.com.
Saturday, June 13 - Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure Quad Cities. Annual run/walk fundraiser with proceeds benefiting breast-cancer awareness and research. i wireless Center (1201 River Drive, Moline). 8 a.m. $17-35 registration. For information, visit KomenQuadCities.org.
Saturday, June 13 - Professional Bull Riders: BlueDef Velocity. Touring presentation featuring bucking broncs, rodeo clowns, spectacular stunts, and more. i wireless Center (1201 River Drive, Moline). 7 p.m. $18-78. For tickets, call (800)745-3000 or visit iwirelessCenter.com.
Thursday, June 18, through Saturday, June 20 - Rally on the River Quad Cities. Twenty-first-annual celebration of biker culture with live entertainment, activities, vendors, the Scooter Girls competition, Saturday headliners Blue Öyster Cult, and more. Centennial Park (315 South Marquette Street, Davenport). Thursday 5 p.m. gates, Friday noon gates, Saturday 10 a.m. gates. $10 at the gate. For information, visit RallyOnTheRiverQC.com.
Friday, June 19, through Saturday, June 27 - Bottom's Up Quad City Burlesque: Eat My Shorts! 90s Show. New stage performance with the area burlesque artists and comedians. Circa '21 Speakeasy (1818 Third Avenue, Rock Island). Fridays and Saturdays 8 p.m. $18-20. For tickets and information, call (309)786-7733 extension 2 or visit Circa21.com.
Saturday, June 20 - Micro Brew Mile. One-mile and 6K road races with a craft-brew festival as the post-race party, in a combined fundraiser for the Children's Therapy Center of the Quad Cities and the Chris VanSpeybroeck Memorial Scholarship. In the parking lot behind the Moline Bier Stube (415 15th Street, Moline). Five waves of the road mile start at 4 p.m., and the 6K road race starts at 5:10 p.m. For information, visit MicroBrewMile.com.
Sunday, June 21 - Ride the River Father' Day Bike Ride. River Action hosts the 31st-annual bi-state tour of the Quad Cities along riverfront bike trails, in which particpants can cruise on the Mississippi River on the Celebration Belle Riverboat from Iowa to Illinois or ride across the historic Arsenal Bridge. Quad-City Times Parking Lot (500 East Third Street, Davenport). Routes open from 7 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. $5-10 registration. For information and to register, call (563)322-2969 or visit RiverAction.org.
